“By the Third day, I just Wanna Dance”

The first time that I saw this commercial it stuck with me. Maybe it was because I could relate to everything that the actress was saying. Maybe it is because I actually use the product. Or maybe it is because I liked her hair and wanted to get mine cut just like hers. Or maybe it is because she is a woman and like all women we have periods.

The commercial was an advertisement for U by Kotex, a new line of tampons. In the commercial, the actress talks about how being on her period makes her feel. She is clearly lying about every aspect of being on her period. The ad is basically a satire of every other tampon commercial that exists. Most commercials advertising tampons or “women’s” product always try to make women feel as though being on their period is easy or carefree. The truth is; it is not. Ask any woman; being on your period is a ‘pain in the back’. Literally.

Is this Commercial Deceiving?

Considering the fact that during the commercial, U by Kotex never demonstrates how well their product works, customers could view this as puffery. They do not compare their product to the leading brands, so how are customers supposed to know what to expect when they purchase the product? I didn’t know what to expect when I bought the product. I was intrigued by how colorful the product was. The ad does do a good job at making their product seem as though it is different from the rest. Majority of the commercial is spent convincing their target market that other products cannot compare. At the very end of the commercial less than five seconds is spent introducing the product.

What are they Really Selling?

What does using U by Kotex products do for a woman? Do they provide comfort? Are they reliable? Based on the commercial, their product is selling the reality of what it is a really like for a woman to be on her period. Every statement that the actress makes is a lie. By the third day of my period I want to take a ‘personal time off’ day from the world and everyone and everything in it. The last thing on my mind is dancing. And I wish that the ads that showed the blue liquid were accurate; that would make my period a lot more enjoyable.

Ad Placement

The first time that I saw this particular commercial, it was on YouTube. I have had the opportunity to see the other U by Kotex commercials on television though. The ads come on mostly during shows that teenagers and women between the ages of 15-25 would be watching. I watch ABC Family a lot and TBS. U by Kotex have found a unique way to sell their products by acknowledging the fact that periods are not fun.

Because I purchased the product before I saw any of the ads on television I cannot give an accurate account of how the commercials influenced me to buy the product but, I have yet to purchase another product since U by Kotex.